These five kitchen tools speed up cooking by reducing prep time and cleanup. I cook most nights, and I enjoy it, but on a busy weeknight I am looking to be quick and efficient in the kitchen. Basically, I love a home cooked meal but I don't like being in the kitchen for a few hours on a Tuesday. Since I can't imagine I'm alone in this sentiment I thought you'd like to see some of the cheap tools I use to spend less time in the kitchen without sacrificing on the taste of my meal.

1. Garlic Press - This little gem saves me about 5 minutes a night (which is 35 minutes a week!). Slicing up garlic can be tedious, and this press takes 5 seconds. Plus, I think it's fun to see all the garlic squirt out.

2.. Herb Scissors - These cut back 5-10 minutes on cooking time for me. We get Hello Fresh boxes and the meals always come with fresh herbs. Trying to chop them with my kitchen knife took at least 5 minutes, if not more, and now it takes 10 seconds. I think it's a game changer for under $10.

3. Herb Stripper - Like the herb scissors, this saves a lot of time preparing herbs. They are only a few dollars, and you can often find them in deals with the herb scissors. If you cook with fresh herbs regularly, I think getting both is highly worth it. Between the two you can save 10 minutes in prep time a night.

4. Splatter Screen - I use a splatter screen over my fry pan whenever I cook meat. It holds the heat in which cut backs on cooking time and it also saves a lot of time in clean up. I think cleaning up dried grease on the stove can take forever, and this prevents all that mess.

5. Dicer - One chop and your soft vegetables are all set. Can you ask for anything more on a Monday night? Probably, but not having to prep all of those vegetables is still pretty good!

What are your tricks for saving time in dinner preparation? Please share, I'm always looking to fine tune my skill in the kitchen! As you guys know from all of my cookie posts I love baking, but I've come to really enjoy cooking as well. I find it fun to experiment over the stove and even more fun to eat a delicious meal after!